Correlation driven near-flat band Stoner excitations in a Kagome magnet

TL;DR

This study reveals nearly non-dispersive Stoner excitations in a Kagome magnet, highlighting the role of flat bands and correlations in its magnetic properties, which is crucial for understanding topological materials.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental evidence of flat band-induced Stoner excitations in a Kagome topological semimetal, combining resonant inelastic X-ray scattering with theoretical analysis.

Findings

Observation of nearly non-dispersive Stoner excitations

Confirmation of flat bands as signatures of electronic correlations

Thermal evolution supports the correlation-driven nature of excitations

Abstract

Among condensed matter systems, Mott insulators exhibit diverse properties that emerge from electronic correlations. In itinerant metals, correlations are usually weak, but can also be enhanced via geometrical confinement of electrons, that manifest as `flat' dispersionless electronic bands. In the fast developing field of topological materials, which includes Dirac and Weyl semimetals, flat bands are one of the important components that can result in unusual magnetic and transport behaviour. To date, characterisation of flat bands and their magnetism is scarce, hindering the design of novel materials. Here, we investigate the ferromagnetic Kagom\'{e} semimetal Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$ using resonant inelastic X-ray scattering. Remarkably, nearly non-dispersive Stoner spin excitation peaks are observed, sharply contrasting with the featureless Stoner continuum expected in conventional ferromagnetic metals. Our band structure and dynamic spin susceptibility calculations, and thermal evolution of the excitations, confirm the nearly non-dispersive Stoner excitations as unique signatures of correlations and spin-polarized electronic flat bands in Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$. These observations serve as a cornerstone for further exploration of band-induced symmetry-breaking orders in topological materials.